Broadband communication services have recently become available to users aboard mobile network platforms, including but not limited to aircraft, trains, ships and automobiles. Connexion by BoeingSM (CBB), for example, makes it possible for airborne customers using personal computing devices (PEDs) to access data services such as the Internet through a CBB web portal. Where a mobile platform portal allows a customer to search the Internet, the customer may submit search terms to a search engine in the same or similar manner as in terrestrial Internet searching. The user may be provided with search results ranked by their relevance to the search terms.
Search engines typically attempt to provide search results that are geographically appropriate to a searching customer on the ground. For example, a search engine receiving a search request from someone in Japan typically attempts to return search results (including advertising) relevant to a Japanese market. The location of an aircraft passenger in airspace, however, is not readily associated with a particular regional or national marketplace. Furthermore, the intent of a passenger performing an Internet search might be unclear. For example, if an in-flight search user en route to Japan were to enter the search term “sushi restaurant”, (s)he would have to enter additional search terms (e.g., “Japan”) to enable the search engine to determine a marketplace intended by the user. An inability to automatically associate a geographic region with search criteria can make it difficult for the search engine to return search results relevant to the user. It also can make it very difficult for the search engine to accurately correlate the search request with an intended geographic market for the purpose of charging for advertising.